Gone and Returned
by Snowstreak
Summary: This is a one-shot. It may have more sequels later. Rated T for main characters death.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and OC's. This is a one-shot I did. It may have more sequels later on though.**

_I left my place in ThunderClan._ The sun was steadily creeping its way up to greet the world. Nightpaw looked mournfully at the ThunderClan camp from the top of the cliff she was standing on. _I don't belong there. Not with all the other cats._ Nightpaw continued to stare downwards.

The sharp scent of thrush whisked past her. _Dawnthrush…_That was her mother. Nightpaw inhaled the air sharply. She had been half-clan. Emberfire of ShadowClan was her father and every one of her Clanmates knew.

Sudden memories flashed past Nightpaw. She and Cloudkit, her litter-mate, playing in the snow; Cloudkit's pride as Petalstar was named her mentor; Silverstreak's approving eyes as she caught her first mouse…She had left everything.

_They'll soon know I'm a traitor. They'll never welcome me back again. _Sighing softly, Nightpaw turned away from the staring at the ThunderClan camp. She didn't feel like she had a right to stay there. Not many cats liked her. They would be glad to see her leave.

She quickly headed down the slope, ears sharp for ThunderClan patrols. Taking in a deep breath, she scented the earlier dawn patrol. _Cloudpaw was on it. So was Dawnthrush. My family…_

The wind let out an eerie howl. Leaf-bare were on its way. It was a signal to Nightpaw that she needed to go.

_I hope you understand why I left. _Nightpaw silently willed her former Clanmates. _I don't belong. _

She remembered Bladepaw's encouraging eyes as she missed a rabbit. Cloudpaw had always teased her that Bladepaw liked her. But now, she could never have kits with him. _Perhaps another cat. A rogue._

Nightpaw glanced upwards. The sun was still going up in the sky. _Just a while after dawn. _Nightpaw decided. _Did they notice the lack of my appearance? _

Nightpaw continued to pad forward, faster this time. She could hear and scent a cat coming towards her. Suddenly, Cloudpaw's easy-to-find pelt appeared. Cloudpaw was black with splotches of white all over her and had green eyes while Nightpaw was pure black with icy blue eyes.

"What are you doing out here?" Cloudpaw narrowed her eyes.

"Er…just for a walk." Nightpaw stammered in return.

"Petalstar didn't want any apprentices to leave the camp."

"Did she say that?" Nightpaw forced a mask of innocence over her face. "I must have not heard it. Besides you're out here."

"I'm hunting with Bluefeather. Come on." Cloudpaw shouldered her roughly towards the direction of the camp.

"Wait, no!" Nightpaw stopped as she saw her sister's confusion. "I think I want to stay out here for a bit longer."

Cloudpaw cocked her head to one side. "You want to leave don't you? I couldn't blame you. I would've liked to come along. But…Viperfang confessed that he…"

Viperfang was the newly made warrior from just yesterday. Nightpaw had noticed some relationships between the two cats.

"I understand." Nightpaw nuzzled her sister comfortingly. "I…need to go."

Cloudpaw nodded and disappeared back into the ferns. _That's the last time. _She thought sadly_. The last time I'll every see Cloudpaw. _She wrenched herself away and padded on.

Finally, she reached the border that connected ThunderClan to non-Clan territory. Nightpaw leapt across the border, filled with sudden energy. Her paws carried her further and further away from the Clans.

_My destiny is to be out there_. Nightpaw thought, gazing at the vast open land that spread before her. Nightpaw paused, looking around. She climbed up a tall oak tree and stared.

_There's so much more than just Clan territory…Somewhere out there would lay freedom._

_. . ._

Nightpaw eyes scanned the familiar clearing that she had once called her home.

"What are you doing here?" A voice snarled.

"Cloudpaw!" Nightpaw exclaimed with pleasure.

"My name's Cloudwind! And while I've been serving my Clan, you have been wandering off. Do you really expect me to just welcome you?"

"What?" Nightpaw began. "No, I mean, I came back. Aren't you happy? Cloudpaw…er…wind, I thought you would like me to be back!"

Cloudwind snickered. "_Seasons_ have passed, Nightpaw. Silverstreak is dead. Featherpond is now Featherstar. Bladepaw is Bladestrike. Dawnthrush has retired to the elders den. And Emberfire is one of the oldest warriors in ShadowClan. They barely remember you, Nightpaw."

Cloudwind's words hurt, but Nightpaw knew it was true.

"Well, come on then." Cloudwind declared. "Let's go see Featherstar." Lifting her tail, Cloudwind lead the way to camp.

"Is that her?"

"Nightpaw's back!"

"Where has she been?"

"She's probably been betraying her Clan."

"She's not part of this Clan anymore!"

Whispers formed around her as she padded uneasily into the leaders den.

"Greetings, Nightpaw." Featherstar dipped her head formally. "I see you have returned. I suppose you know that many of us do not want you here?"

Nightpaw nodded. Featherstar, when she was Featherpond, had never been quite fond of Nightpaw.

Featherstar stared into her eyes. "I suppose you know you are not going to be accepted back into this Clan?"

Nightpaw felt very uneasy. _Not be accepted? Then where would I go?_

Featherstar flicked her tail to Cloudwind. "You may go." Turning back to Nightpaw, she added, "You have two choices: Leave the Clan for good. Or you can allow us to kill you here."

_I came back to be free of those other rogues. _Nightpaw thought._ I am not going back! But I can't stay here either… _Nightpaw met Featherstar's stare evenly. "Kill me."

Featherstar nodded her eyes unreadable. But Nightpaw saw a bit of satisfaction in them. And perhaps pleasure. "Let all cats gather!" Featherstar yowled, leaping onto the Highrock.

_She left out a lot of the formal call to get cats to gather. _Nightpaw noticed. _Perhaps she's eager to let this happen. _

"As you know very well, Nightpaw has returned." Featherstar began. "I gave her two options: To leave the Clan, or to let us kill her."

Nightpaw saw Bladepaw, now Bladestrike bristle at the mention of the second one. "Surely she chose the first one?" Bladestrike called out.

Featherstar snickered. "No, she chose the second."

Bladestrike looked stunned.

"Cloudwind, Bladestrike, Dawnthrush, and Nightpaw, meet me at the training hollow. Now." Featherstar leapt off the rock and padded away. Nightpaw began to follow her, noticing that all the other cats she called were too.

Once they were there, Featherstar declared, "Now is when is happens."

"Wait!" Bladestrike leapt in front of Nightpaw. "Can we first have our…_private_ conversations with her?"

Featherstar narrowed her eyes before finally nodding. The other cats back away from sight, leaving

Bladestrike and Nightpaw alone. "Why did you choose _that_ one?" Bladestrike cried at Nightpaw once they had all left. "Why?"

Nightpaw shrugged. "I don't have any other reason to live."

Bladestrike glared at her. His glare slowly turned into a saddened look. "But I wanted to have kits with you! Didn't you want to have kits?"

Nightpaw met his gaze calmly. "I already did have kits." She hesitated. "I did want to have kits with you." She admitted at last. "But I had kits with another cat. Hawk."

Bladestrike sighed softly. "I would've at least liked you to have become a warrior."

"I did. In the rogues place at least."

"If you stayed here, I would've liked your warrior name to be Nightshadow."

He slunk back into the ferns, calling for Cloudwind. Cloudwind's elegant head poked through.

"I gave you a chance not to leave." Cloudwind mewed smugly. "You didn't listen."

Nightpaw snarled at her. "You told me you would've wanted to go too! Did you get your dream of having kits with Viperfang?"

Cloudwind stiffened. "No, he died in the same battle that killed Silverstreak."

"So you would've come with me if you knew that was going to happen."

Cloudwind hissed, and then stopped. "I suppose so…At least back then. Not now."

"Doubtful." Nightpaw snorted.

Cloudwind glared at her, and then roughly moved pass her. "Dawnthrush!"

Nightpaw glanced at Cloudwind. "I wish things could've been different between us."

Cloudwind didn't reply, only leave. She also left a crack in Nightpaw's heart.

"My kit! Why did you leave?" Dawnthrush exploded from the grass. "My precious, precious kit!" Dawnthrush began licking Nightpaw.

"Dawnthrush! I'm fine!" Nightpaw squirmed under her.

"No, you're not _going_ to be! You're going to die because of your choice!" Dawnthrush fretted.

"That was my choice."

"You made a bad one."

"I don't want to become a rogue again."

"Why did you even become one in the first place?"

"I didn't feel like I belonged here!"

"My poor, poor kit." Dawnthrush whispered. "All because of my mistake." "It's not because of you!" Nightpaw called to her mother. But Dawnthrush sighed then turned and left.

Featherstar appeared again. Her head and tail was lifted high. "Lie down." She ordered. Nightpaw did as she was told and closed her eyes tightly. She could hear the cats whispering around her.

"Nightpaw! Featherstar, no!" That was Bladestrike.

"My kit! Oh, my kit!" Dawnthrush.

She felt a paw on her and scented Cloudwind. "You will always be my sister. No matter how far apart we seem."

Nightpaw opened her eyes and looked wistfully at Cloudwind. "If only there was more time."

Then the pain came. Followed with the blackness.

"Nightpaw." That voice was made of all the ones she loved. But she didn't reply.

. . .

Nightpaw opened her eyes again. "Is this StarClan?"

"Yes, my dear."

"Silverstreak!" Nightpaw exclaimed. "You're here!"

"Yes, Nightshadow, I am." Silverstreak told her softly.

"Nightshadow? But…my name's Nightpaw!" Nightpaw mewed, confused.

"This is StarClan, Nightshadow. You've earned your warrior name over and over." Silverstreak mewed calmly. "You'll watch over your former Clanmates like any StarClan warrior would do."

Nightshadow nodded. She didn't regret anything that had happened in her life time.

Nothing except for a tiny part. Her kits were still alive. Her mate had died, but her kits hadn't. Spruce, one of her kits, was still out there. So was his sister, Mist. They would have to survive without her.

**Yeah, I was feeling pretty mad today. Poor Nightshadow. She lived for about 1 hour. She may live longer in the future. **** That sounds kind of strange.**


End file.
